MARTA VOLKOVA &
SLAVA SHEVELENKO
go back
2012

In the Anticipation of economic Boom

Project “Lorelei” (Archive and research center of the German classical literature). The proposal includes in the first phase expansion of the waterway of the Rein ( where the famous montain Lorelei rises from the water) and than building of a huge art object 132 meters in height, just as hich as Lorelei itself). The art object (which will also be an architectural structure) will stand on a platform at the water's surface. In the upper part of the building will house the central archive of German lclassical iterature. In the middle part - the research center. At the very bottom - the conference hall and a cinema, where films will be shown, taken on the works of German classics.

Project "Dedicated to Henry Darger". A group of young enthusiasts submitted a project proposal to the Chicago City Council. They propoce to place a number of 45 meters high sculptures, inspired by the work of Henry Darger, a famous outside artist, on the grounds of The Yards (the well known slaughterhouses of Chicago). With the realization of this project on the former site of slaughterhouses young designers want to give a new twist in the history of this part of the city.

Fragment of the show at the Bonnefanten museum, Maastricht.

Project “Alternative Clinic for Plastic Surgery”, Copenhagen. The most interesting plastic contribution of this design is, in our opinion, a gigantic sculpture, which is placed next to the clinic building. In the interior of this sculpture are rooms for individual conversations with experts, spaces for film screenings, lectures and exhibitions.

In the Anticipation of economic Boom.

If one looks carefully into the landscape of contemporary cultural life, one interesting phenomenonis impossible to miss. Lately, there are more and more project proposals by young artists and designers that, regardless to a plethora of subjects, have one thing in common – the megalomaniac character of the proposed constructions. 

The realization of such large projects necessitates large investments. It is worth noting that this tendency (at this point one can certainly call it a tendency), comes about during the economic downturn. On another hand, a psychological factor has a huge weight on the economic climate. Is the emergence of this tendency a psychological war against the ongoing economic crisis? Maybe we really are witnessing the heroic individual efforts to win this war? Attempts of people belonging to a social group, which until now had no guns to combat the economic depression and in this way has found his own weapon.

We have selected three of these project proposals in the exhibition "In Anticipation of economic Boom."